1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to methods and compositions for modulating an immune response in a subject, and more specifically to compositions containing a bacterial dnaJ peptide or a human homolog or a non-homologous human isoform thereof, and to methods of using such compositions to stimulate an immune response or to generate tolerance to an immunogen. As such, the present invention provides various means to regulate an inflammatory response, including methods of mucosal tolerization, DNA vaccination, anergy induction and active immunization.
2. Background Information
Treatment strategies for many diseases are directed at alleviating the symptoms of the disease rather than resolving the cause of the problematic symptoms. In the case of inflammatory diseases, for example, most treatments are directed to relieving the inflammation generally such as by using steroidal or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents.
Inflammation often occurs as a result of an immune response. Although an immune response and the consequent inflammatory response generally provide an advantage to an individual, for example, where the response is to a bacterial infection, in some cases an immune response and inflammatory response produce deleterious consequences. In particular, patients with an auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosis, and the like, often suffer from severe and in some cases generalized tissue damage. Although administration of a steroidal drug, for example, can decrease the severity of the immune response is such patients, the long term use of such drugs can produce adverse effects, including decreasing the patient's quality of life. Furthermore, the use of such drugs generally reduces the ability of an individual to mount an immune response, thus leaving the individual susceptible to short term infections that can produce severe consequences. Thus, a need exists for compositions and methods that are useful for specifically modulating an immune response, and the associated inflammatory response. The present invention satisfies this need and provides additional advantages.